First up from the God Machine this week is a look at an ad promoting tourism to the United States, which may not seem especially noteworthy at first blush, but which has outraged some in the religious right.
Seems pretty harmless, right? The video, obviously intended for an international audience, was crafted to highlight the way in which the United States celebrates diversity. But if you pause the video 33 seconds in, you might notice a man with his arm around another man. And that's apparently a problem.
The ad promoting tourism to the US seemed innocuous enough, but Family Research Council president Tony Perkins warns that the advertising campaign is being used to "highlight same-sex attractions."
The Discover America ad highlights diversity in the US, including a song by Rosanne Cash and images of an interracial couple, two Muslim women in a city and people celebrating the Hindu festival Holi. But Perkins is peeved by its attempt "to celebrate homosexuality" by featuring a man with his arm around his partner on a bus for almost two seconds. Perkins claimed that the ad depicts "a country of radical values and backwards priorities."
Perkins went on to blame President Obama for this, calling the ad part of Obama's "push to 'rebrand' America." In the event of a Romney presidency, presumably Perkins will have the influence to make sure ads like these never air anywhere.
Also from the God Machine this week:
* The issue of state-sponsored prayer in public schools has largely faded away, but Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) apparently wants to bring it back.
* Don't mess with nuns: "In a spirited retort to the Vatican, a group of Roman Catholic nuns is planning a bus trip across nine states this month, stopping at homeless shelters, food pantries, schools and health care facilities run by nuns to highlight their work with the nation's poor and disenfranchised" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).
* Speaking of the Vatican, there's a major controversy brewing around the butler to Pope Benedict XVI who stands accused of leaking confidential memos to the Italian media.
* And David Barton, the religious right's pseudo historian, believes welfare recipients would be better off financially if only they'd read the Bible.
Leave a Comment:
Perkins is a clown and a fool. If only he'd admit how gay he is for Jesus, he might not make an even bigger ass of himself with nonsense like this.
How very tribal of you to say.
Why hasn't anyone asked Romney about his Dads' role in the 1967 riots in Detroit where he ordered the massacre of 43 protestors, 33 of them were black. Panic in Detroit. Che Chuevera. I wonder if Romney thinks that was funny too.
Gosh I wish Perkins would just go away. He serves no purpose, none whatsoever.
Every time Mr. Perkins or one of his minions goes on an anti-gay rant on TV or radio, this man who lives near my home never fails to point out to me that I'm a rotten fag and it's because of me that so many Catholic parochial schools are closing down, and as a result, his kids are going to have to go to school with the ******* (fill in your racial/ethnic/sexual slur of your choice). I don't get the connection either so don't ask.
It just goes to show you the people who adore the likes of Mr. Perkins are nuts. But I (we) have some support from the likes of this poor crazy man from an unexpected source. A Nun who teaches at the local Catholic school heard this him screaming at me and a Lesbian couple who live nearby, and like the Nuns of my youth, she ripped him a new rear end. It was something to behold.
I'm not a religious person, but I always believed that not all people of faith, no matter what faith, are evil people. This Nun proved it to me once again. But I also know that if Perkins or some other religious nut shows up on one of the Sunday news shows today, I can expect a dressing down from this poor, poor crazy man the next time I see him.
If Perkins was actually a man of importance he wouldn't be in the position that he is in.
This article reaction: I'm an atheist..and one of my sons is gay. I just ignore this kind of reactionary tripe. But deep within my gut I'm constantly looking out for anything that might signal danger to my precious child, because I'm his mother. In today's New York Times Magazine "Riff", Steve Almond writes an opinion that has me also deeply thinking about the things we complain about, like the above commercial. I would truly like to hear Rachel and staff comment on this insightful piece.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/magazine/liberals-are-ruining-america-i-know-because-i-am-one.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
I am not Rachel or her staff but here are my thoughts.
I read most and scanned the rest of the article. The last paragraph really sums it up (as last paragraphs should):
"My personal goal is simple: to go cold turkey on conservative wing nuts and instead take up the hard work of genuine political action. It’s time for all of us — liberal, conservative and otherwise — to define ourselves as Americans not by who we hate but by what we can do to strengthen our communities and country." (I added the bold)
I am a Christian, but the Jesus I believe in taught us to love one another. Is it really hard sometimes? - yes. Does that mean we don't try? - no. To me, people who call themselves Christians then turn around and spout hate and treat others hatefully have disqualified themselves from using the label.
[BTW - The title of the article has me a bit bothered - and is a sign of what it takes to get noticed.]
So the Question is - once we have decided not to hate but do - what can we actually DO. Sitting hating is one thing - getting out there and actually doing requires finding things to - you know - do.
I have over the past few years spent quite a bit of time sitting on the couch yelling at the TV. I have not actually thrown something at the TV but did manage to scare the cats many times. But, as the author of this article says - it really doesn't do anything constructive.
I tried posting comments to Fox News articles, but got sick and tired of spitting against the wind. My latest outlet is MaddowBlog and UpwithChrisHayes. But this kind of feels like singing with the choir (except for a few good exchanges).
In May 2011, I got involved in a political campaign for the very first time - NY26th to fill vacancy. We managed to get the Democrat Kathy Hochul elected in a district that was historically Republican (Paul Ryan Budget was the issue). I will be involved again - also with ObamaForAmerica.
Bottom line is - you can't do anything by yourself - must combine with other voices. Look for opportunities and if you don't find them - make them!
We do what we can by expressing kindness to those we meet. I'm joining the campaign efforts in my town. I help by helping others and my Father provides the people and the circumstances in my life to do that. I also have been a shoulder for Vietnam vets to lean on. Tommorrow I am donating all of my clothes to the Salvation Army. I honor my son by remembering what he taught me and sharing his story. I pray everyday for all of the children in this world, some of them feel the pain of persecution every single day.
While the idea of not amplifying the message of the right, I don't think that the notion that we should ignore them is practical. It's not as if they'll just go away. Refusing to engage on their terms seems more promising. They wan't validation, and taking them seriously gives them that.
For instance, people like Perkins would like to have it that the Christian position on homosexuality is solely one of moral condemnation. By allowing a platform for that, the media reinforce the idea, giving it credibility. The media could do a better job of discrediting it if they would at a minimum give more exposure to counter-narratives such as this Baptist minister, but they don't. That there isn't this counter-narrative leads to the phenomenon we see here of some people who would have it that the solution to our our problems is to ban religion. That also gives too much credibility to people like Perkins. Apart from being bigoted and just plain simple-minded, it also unjustifiably magnifies the significance of people like Perkins through a refusal just simply to recognize the existence of that Baptist preacher as well as all the churches who run counter to the narrative Perkins would prefer.
A source of our problems is people who are religious. But there are people who are religious who are a part of the solution. Real life is complicated and sometimes apparently contradictory. Just deal with it, guys. Don't ape the right by trying to reduce the complex to the simple. Don't play their game.
Amen and amen.
On the eigth day Gawd cursed womankind. On the first page of the bibble, gawd tells Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge or they (A.) would surely die the death. They the gods (plural) knew that if Adam and Eve did eat from that tree they would (B.) become as smart as the gads and (C.) go on to eat from the Tree of Immortality. So,,, A, B, and C are obvious early lies in the bibble as Adam and Eve were actually kicked out of the garden and went on to live for 900+ years.
Why read any further (another 700,000+ words of gibberish)?
Why would any woman be a member of an orthodox religion? Women are superior too men,, not the orthodox subhumans classic religions teach..
....you've made it too easy for me to even make an effort.
It's not the Bible that's gibberish, it's an account of History, though it has been altered a few times or more. The gibberish is what you hear when people try and translate it into their own words, like yourself.
Americans are far too uptight. In certain countries men walk arm and arm, and no one thinks this is a gay thing, only here and only by the uptight right wing. If they were really concerned about family values they would be concerned about child health.They would be in the forefront of the environmental movement, backing the EPA on closing mercury spewing coal plants in the south, or concerned about fracking and how it can taint wells with methane that could poison children. Better yet they could back Michelle Obama on her anti obesity program aimed at youth who are in the midst of a diabetes epidemic. But they don't care about that because it's real. they would rather be focused on gays as teachers in schools or contraception, you know the important stuff!
howa4x,
I basically agree with you, but not so much about "only here and only by the uptight right wing". First, people being people, I'm sure there are other societies where men walking arm in arm is considered really icky. Second, and more important, I have had serious doubts about many avowed "liberals" or "progressives" for years, regarding a number of issues. Too many of them seem to be, in the quaint phrase, "all hat and no cattle". For example, on one of the Usenet newsgroups (soc.motss), the dominant clique was nearly all avowed "liberals" or "progressives". Nevertheless, they routinely indulged in "pile-ons" against those outside the dominant clique over departures from the proper ways of thinking about things, or about really trivial stuff. Nevertheless, one of the members of the dominant clique was a blindingly dogmatic Ayn Rand devotee with a fecal obsession and a fairly evident drinking problem. If anyone outside the dominant clique criticized the Randie, the rest of the clique would defend him or make excuses for his standard expletive laced personal attacks in response. I just don't trust many people any more.
HA! If THAT upset ol' Tony, one cannot but wonder how he survived this:
http://sayitaintsoalready.com/2009/04/15/george-bush-kisses-a-saudi-prince/
*¬◊
Oh, being a big ol' hypocrite would help him survive it easily. He would either ignore it or indulge in the usual handwaving, deflection, etc., of those on the right. Never underestimate their capacity for deceit.
i believe we've either reached or exceeded 1 comment per millisecond of arm-around-ery here.